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Hartke Amps |
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What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words, "Hartke Bass Amps?" For me, it was that aluminum cone speaker they have which, depending on your playing style, might have been just what you were looking for or "not so cool for your particular school". As far back as I can remember that aluminum speaker has defined Hartke. Personally, I like a big warm sound that comes from a paper speaker, but I'll admit paper doesn't respond as quickly as aluminum so there are good things to be said about both.
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 Many players, such as Jack Bruce from Cream, would have both a cab loaded with aluminum speakers, and one with paper cones, on stage at the same time to capture the best of both worlds (it helps to have roadies). Responding to this behavior and after three years of research and development, Hartke recently came up with the perfect solution: the Hydrive speaker which fuses an inner aluminum cone with an outer paper cone. Pairing this sweet technology with lightweight Neo-D magnets results in a lightweight, efficient speaker that does the job of two different speakers. Add a powerful, user-friendly amplifier with a tube pre-amp and you've got yourself one great sounding combo with power to spare that won't break your back or your budget.
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I liked the 2x10 Hydrive combo so much, I ordered one for myself to use on stage with the Careless Hearts and I'm selling my Ampeg. Here at Gryphon, we are stocking a nice array of Hartke bass amps, from the 15 and 60 watt practice combos up to the 2x10 Hydrive combo which is powered by a 500 Watt built-in head. Since we're limited on space, we choose not to stock the separate amp heads and cabinets but we'd be happy to order one for you if you ask.
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 While we're on the subject of Hartke, they have also come up with a very affordable acoustic guitar amp that sounds better than anything else I've heard near this price range. Featuring 75 Watts of power through two 5" woofers and a ribbon tweeter, the AC 75 is a lot of amp for $349.00. 2 channels, digital effects, balanced mic input, RCA inputs for your mp3 player, notch filter, effects loop, etc. It even tilts back so you can use it as a monitor and send your sound out to the house PA with the direct output.
-Brian in repair |
Gryphon Stringed Instruments
Our Hours
Monday through Thursday
10:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
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Our Location
211 Lambert Avenue
at the corner of Park and Lambert
Palo Alto, California 94306
650.493.2131
Toll Free: 888.493.2131 |
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Zoom Recorders at Gryphon |
 A persistent request that we have not been able to accommodate here at Gryphon is for portable audio recorders. That's not surprising, as our lesson program is one of the most important facets of Gryphon and what better way to take away more of the lesson than with a recording you can access at any time? Of course Gryphon has carried recorders in the past, but as many independent retailers discover, it's easy to lose access to a favorite product when distribution channels change or brands are absorbed by a larger corporation. |
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New Taylor Baritone Guitars |
 One of the best kept secrets of acoustic music is the tone and depth of a low-tuned or baritone guitar. While it may seem as though this is a recent phenomenon, two of the most well-known acoustic tracks of the sixties used low-tuned guitars (The Beatles' "Yesterday" and "Sugar Mountain" by Neil Young were recorded on guitars tuned a whole step lower: low string to high string: D-G-C-F-A-D). Going back further, blues genius Leadbelly played a Stella twelve string tuned even lower yet (low to high: C-F-Bb-Eb-G-C). In more recent years, the late songwriter and sublime fingerpicker Elliott Smith experimented with many such low tunings, adding even greater depth to his powerful songs. |
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Small and/or Travel Guitars |
 One of the most successful niche markets in the world of acoustic guitars in recent years has been very small guitars. Some of these have been pitched as ideal for travel, while others have been marketed as guitars for very young players. It shouldn't be too surprising that a good number of them have the word "baby" in the model code, and this includes two of our favorites here at Gryphon. Ironically, these two "baby" models are at opposite ends of the price scale, but both were early entries in the small guitars market. |
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